Forest Kingdom Trilogy 1 - Blue Moon Rising

calmly.
    'Did you find anything else?' Rupert asked the guard.
    He shook his head. 'I couldn't ... I couldn't see much; it was too dark. But the smell . . . the smell's pretty bad.' He swallowed dryly and stumbled away, heading for the surface.
    'He's young,' said the Champion absently. 'First tour of duty. Never struck a blow in anger, like as not.
    He'll get over it.'
    'Yeah, sure,' said Rupert. His stomach lurched as the Champion casually threw the bloodstained shoe to one side, and he quickly looked away. 'Quite a few of my guards seem just as young, sir Champion. I take it they're all equally inexperienced?'
    'Pretty much, Sire.'
    'No wonder the King let me have them.'
    'You're learning,' said the Champion.
    Rupert smiled tiredly, and for a moment they stood together, staring down the tunnel into the darkness.
    'Well,' Rupert said finally, 'there's nothing more we can do here. Let's get back to the town.'
    The Champion frowned. 'Back to Coppertown?'
    'It's better than being trapped out in the open,' said Rupert. 'If there are demons here, we'll be safer behind stone walls.'
    'They didn't help the townspeople much,' said the Champion. 'Aren't you curious about what's down there in the dark?'
    'Not a lot,' said Rupert.
    'There could be somebody still alive, deep in the mine.'
    'It's not very likely.'
    'No, Sire. But it is possible.'
    'Yes,' Rupert sighed regretfully. 'It is possible, sir Champion. What do you think we should do?'
    'We must go down into the dark,' said the Champion calmly, 'and either save the townspeople, or avenge them.'
    Rupert felt a sudden surge of empathy for the Champion. In his own way, the Champion was as scared of the mine as Rupert had been of the Darkwood. And, like Rupert, the Champion wasn't going to be stopped from doing what he felt was right, just because was afraid.
    'All right,' said Rupert. 'Tell the guards what's happening, and get me four volunteers to come with us.
    Have the rest set up a perimeter and mark it with torches. If there are any demons prowling, they'll steer clear of the light.'
    'Four volunteers, Sire?'
    'This is going to be a scouting party, sir Champion, not an attack force. Time for that when we know what we're up against. And I want real volunteers, mind.'
    'Of course, Sire.' The Champion smiled slightly and headed for the exit, to talk to the guards.
    Rupert grinned, and then stared down the tunnel into the darkness. The darkness stared back, giving nothing away. Rupert drew his sword, and hefted it. The Rainbow Run seemed a long time ago. I don't have to do this , he thought slowly. It's stupid to risk my life for a few hundred missing townspeople. My mission to the High Warlock is far more important. He sighed regretfully, knowing he didn't really have a choice. No, I don't have to do this. But I'm going to. As long as there's a chance we can save somebody, I can't walk away and leave them to the dark . He studied his sword thoughtfully. If there were demons in the mine shafts, he could always call down another Rainbow.
    The Champion came back with four guardsmen, each carrying a sword in one hand and a lantern in the other. The extra light served mainly to emphasise the narrowness of the tunnel. Rupert noticed that the Champion had left his lantern behind, in order to have both hands free to carry his massive war axe.
    'Ready, Sire?'
    'Ready, sir Champion. You know this mine, so you'd better lead the way.'
    'Of course, Sire.' The Champion strode calmly down the tunnel, into the dark. Rupert followed close behind him, lantern held high, and the four guardsmen brought up the rear. Rupert stared worriedly at the Champion's back; the man was too determined not to let his old fear of the mine rule him. That kind of single-mindedness could lead to him doing something foolhardy and get them all killed.
    The tunnel sloped steadily downwards, and Rupert hunched forward a little to avoid bumping his head on the low ceiling. The walls were pitted and scarred, supported here and there by thick timbers disfigured by moss and rot. Fat clumps of white fungi gathered where the walls met the floor, and a faint sickly-sweet smell tainted the air. Rupert scowled. The smell bothered him; it seemed strangely familiar.
    The Champion's confident pace soon slowed, and he peered about him almost hesitantly, as though troubled by unwelcome memories. Rupert could hear the guards muttering behind him, and every now and again there was a muffled curse as they lost their footing or